RAND study says U.S. lacks resources to defeat insurgencies

The federal government needs to invest an additional $20 billion to $30 billion annually to develop a "more complete and balanced set of capabilities" for the types of counterinsurgency operations the United States and allies are conducting in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report released Monday by RAND Corp.

The study, titled "War By Other Means," argues that U.S. civilian and military agencies lack the necessary equipment, organizations and investment priorities to contain, weaken and overcome insurgencies. The report also criticizes the military for failing to change plans and priorities to focus on defeating insurgencies rather than combating state enemies.

"Major threats, crises, or wars usually precipitate changes in national defense capabilities -- e.g., the airplane, the tank, radar, atomic weapons," according to the report. "Not this one." Aside from funding increases for the military's special operations forces -- whose accounts have grown from 1 percent to 2 percent of the Pentagon's total budget -- there has been "no substantial change in military investment priorities" since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the report states.

Meanwhile, despite the common perception that civil capabilities are as important to counterinsurgency operations as military power, increases in the State Department's budget have been "dwarfed" by massive increases in Defense Department spending, the report states. "If Islamic insurgency is the gravest threat to the United States and its interests in the near to middle term, and if countering this insurgency requires a broad and balanced array of capabilities, the grim implication is that the United States is ill equipped to counter the gravest threat it faces," according to the study. "Therefore, it must invest to correct its [counter-insurgency] deficiencies and imbalances." The study, which suggests significantly reducing the reliance on large-scale U.S. military power in the Muslim world, recommends focusing on developing civilian capabilities aimed at undermining the appeal of insurgents, expanding information technology, and relying on "competent, legitimate and appropriate" local security forces.

The report highlights 13 high-priority areas for the United States to focus its efforts and funding, including expanding public education capacity; using experts to build indigenous justice systems and train local police forces; developing more effective human intelligence operations; and supporting effective local information operations to build the case for the local government.

RAND officials stress in their report that working with allies can help make up for U.S. deficiencies, particularly in areas such as police and constabulary training, public service restoration and reform of the security sector.